All aboard the crazy train...
We're on the way to bi-poland, bi-polopolis, bi-pol-whatever you would like to call it. Yes everyone, I'm officially coming out of the closet as bi.
Bipolar, that is.
It makes sense; the condition descends upon a perhaps semi-suspecting soul somewhere in their ever-hectic early twenties. After waiting a whole 19 years to be formally diagnosed with Bipolar 1, I've found that it is a truly misunderstood and misconstrued mental state of being. Here is a list of some bipolar quirks that I've been experiencing throughout the past few months:
1. Talking to strangers. I am constantly telling random people on the street, “Hey, have an awesome day!" The other day I was at Shake Shack and a girl bumped into a door or something. I, nearby, asked her, “You got it girl, you alright? You need anything?" My mom of course told me to never ever talk to a stranger ever in my life, but alas, mania has no interpersonal reservations.
2. Sporadic spending sprees. I was innocently reading the latest Haruki Murakami novel when the intensity of chess was mentioned. Suddenly, I found myself in the parking lot of my school spending $175 on an antique chess set. After getting a feel for antiques, I decided to go to an antique store the next day. I bought a briefcase because, why not? That's pretty classy, right? I could not stop the surge of wonder that these purchases and antique labyrinths brought me. Each one seemed like a fantastic idea at the time. I went on to buy a pocket watch (to go along with my fancy briefcase, which looks more like luggage), and a brand new mandolin, which I have yet to learn how to play.
3. Easily startled. Everyone jumps when the toaster goes off, but I am pretty sensitive to other kitchen appliances like the microwave and the coffee maker reminding me, “HEY! WE'RE DONE! ALL SET TO GO OVER HERE!" I also need to prepare myself for whenever the gas meter goes off when filling up my tank. These instances make me seem like a surefire nutcase when they happen in public. Except for the kitchen ones, my kitchen is not in public.
4. Lack of focus. I guess this is your standard ADHD dilemma, but I seriously just cannot focus. In the time it took me to write this article, I swear I have had sudden thinking-sessions regarding everything from Lays BBQ potato chips to why the universe specifically placed javelinas in Central America.
5. OCD. I specifically added this quirk because I was inexplicably uncomfortable with the number four.
Let's clear up this whole mania-induced mess—I am not implying that bipolar should be regarded as idiosyncratic, or trendy by any means. I am perhaps suggesting that talking about it and acknowledging it's eccentricities may perchance shed some light on the topic, if you will. My journey has only been given a proper name and the right medication for about a week now, and I probably do not even know the half of what it is like to live with this condition. I just know that I have to live this out not as a manic-depressive, but a manic-impressive.
